Captain "Red Legs" Greaves

On this Talk Like a Pirate Day, we here at Medieval Collectibles would like to recognize one of the most successful and lucky pirates of the 17^th century – Captain “Red Legs” Greaves. "Red Legs" Greaves was a Scottish buccaneer who was active in the Caribbean and West Indies in the 1670s. The nickname “Red Legs” was derived from a derogatory term for the Irish and Scottish banished to the Caribbean after Cromwell’s conquest of Ireland and Scotland. Upon arriving to the islands, many of these folks were either enslaved or destitute, earning nicknames such as “redlegs”, “redshanks”, and the unimaginative “poor whites.”

From Slave to Stowaway to Shipmate

However, in the case of young Greaves, his childhood was anything but ordinary. Greaves’ parents were banished to the Caribbean as slaves, and as such, he was born into slavery. Fortunately, slave life was tolerable for Greaves, thanks to a kind master that treated him and his parents quite well.  Unfortunately, Greaves’ parents and master soon died, leaving him to be sold to a cruel man who enjoyed beating his slaves. Fearing for his survival, a teenage Greaves was able to sneak out one evening and stow away aboard a ship preparing to leave harbor. Unbeknownst to Greaves, this ship belonged to the notorious pirate Captain Hawkins. Once discovered, Greaves was given the choice of joining the crew or being shot. Greaves joined the crew, and quickly climbed the ranks of Hawkins’ company. However, the closer he came to the rank of captain, the more he openly disagreed with Hawkins’ methods.

The Rise of Captain Greaves

Captain Hawkins was famous for his cruelty and mercilessness. He rarely offered quarter to ships, and often beat and tortured his prisoners. With the pain of the whip still fresh in Greaves’ memory, his contempt of Hawkins became more and more obvious. Eventually, this fundamental difference of opinion came to blows, leaving the captain dead at the hands of Greaves. The rest of the crew, who up until now had lived in fear of Hawkins, happily elected Greaves to be the new captain of the ship. What began thereafter could be considered one of the greatest careers in the history of piracy. Captain “Red Legs” Greaves quickly became known for his humanity and morality. Greaves never tortured his prisoners, robbed the poor, or mistreated women. He was, to use the modern phrase, “simply in it for the money.”

An Unusual Retirement

Around 1675, Greaves captured Margarita Island off the coast of Venezuela. After capturing the local Spanish fleet guarding the island, he turned the Spanish guns against the island’s defenses and promptly stormed the town. However, apart from a large cache of pearls and gold, the town and its inhabitants were left untouched.  After this raid, Greaves had enough treasure to retire from piracy, but before he could truly settle down he was arrested, imprisoned, and sentenced to hang for his crimes as a pirate. Once again, however, lady luck saw Greaves out of the corner of her eye, as an earthquake destroyed the town (and jail) where Greaves was imprisoned, leaving him as one of the few survivors of the catastrophe. Soon thereafter, he turned pirate hunter and received a pardon of his earlier crimes. After becoming a free and pardoned man, he resumed his retirement as a plantation owner, well known for being a charitable and kind man who gave generously to public institutions.

Uncommon amongst pirates, “Red Legs” Greaves died of old age, leaving this world as a respected citizen of a community that sincerely mourned his loss.